News for Speakers’ Corner, Sunday 4th November

“We are such poor judges of the worth of others that our ultimate duty remains to be kind, good, curious and imaginative about pretty much everyone who ever crosses our path – and that includes ourselves.”
Alain de Botton

1. It was another beautiful day and this time there was no sign of the Illuminati. However, they are only pausing to take a breath because next week they’ll be hindering us again. There will be no road access, which means we won’t have chairs.

Curse them.

And yes, Peter the Younger, let’s be wary of the Rothchilds as well.

But at least we know we have the Illuminati worried. We must not give up.

This is their symbol. Mirko has been warning us about them for some time. If only we had listened to you earlier, Mirko.

2. A few weeks ago there was an uproar in the media when a nine year-old schoolgirl refused to stand for the National Anthem in School Assembly. A few of Mr B’s grasshoppers had suggested that she should have stood for the anthem, and that her reasons for not doing so were poor. Yet, today when Mr B asked everyone to stand because he was about to sing the National Anthem, no one moved! It was as though their backsides had been glued to the chairs.

He began singing, and your discerning scribe was surprised to find that Mr B has a beautiful singing voice. Who would have thought? But despite that, and despite the fact that it was indeed our National Anthem he was singing, still no one stood!

The hypocrisy was almost palpable.

3. Speaking of hypocrisy, Mr B wondered if the people who are cheating the Opal Transport System are the same people who complain when their bank rips them off.

4. Should children leave school unable to understand percentages? Should they leave school without critical thinking skills? Without knowing how to change the washer on a tap? Without knowing how to cook? Is it really impossible to teach children what a mortgage is? Would a school really need thirty cars to teach children how to change a flat tyre? These and other questions were discussed in a most unpleasant, nasty half-hour. If you weren’t there, you were lucky.

Here is one advanced school teaching their students to lose their fear of heights.

5. Yet again the monkey on the typewriter was introduced and the question was asked: “Can any finite task be completed in infinite time?” However, to make it easier for his grasshoppers, this time Mr B replaced that maladroit monkey and the choking chimp (both had caused conjecture) with another primate: a human being who can’t speak or write English. Would that help Mr B’s befuddled grasshoppers solve the conundrum?

You guessed it: no. Not even close.

Mirko regularly says the best way to write infinity is to lay the number ‘eight’ on its side. That insight would make Mirko the person closest to correctly answering the question, which shows you just how far the other grasshoppers were from even providing an answer.

Mirko wasn’t here today to claim victory. We hope you’re well, Mirko.

Mirko’s symbol for infinity.

6. Other subjects discussed:– Organised crime. Who does it and what do they do? Are you supporting them by the things you do?

– Should the RSLs and sports clubs (making hundreds of millions of dollars profit with their poker machines) become service hubs for government bodies such as TAFE? Should they get into child care and aged care?

– Given that most people born in the 18th century and beyond would not have experienced a tenth of what we have experienced, in comparison has each and every one of us achieved a great deal in life?

– Mr B explained why he is now in favour of the Invictus Games and fully supportive of them. And, the question was asked: “Should past enemy nations (ergo, the soldiers) be invited?” Opinion was divided.

7. In our Unusual Creature Series we have the world’s biggest rodent, the amiable capybara of South America. It has seen our Facebook page and is a big fan.